Car shakes in fifth gear

[Goatxxmastr]

Alright, so only when i am in fifth gear and accelerating, the car starts to shake... It feels like the whole thing . I have barely got the car over 3k rpms in fifth because im afraid of the shake, but all other gears or completely fine. Any idea what this might be? It stops shaking as soon as i let off the gas. Its hard to try and push the clutch in at those speeds for me but it seemed to stop then as well. I could use some help here as it makes a nice car hard to drive on the freeway. Is it possible that this is a cv axle issue even when its only in this gear?

 

[Colt4G63 also]

Alright, so only when i am in fifth gear and accelerating, the car starts to shake... It feels like the whole thing . I have barely got the car over 3k rpms in fifth because im afraid of the shake, but all other gears or completely fine. Any idea what this might be? It stops shaking as soon as i let off the gas. Its hard to try and push the clutch in at those speeds for me but it seemed to stop then as well. I could use some help here as it makes a nice car hard to drive on the freeway. Is it possible that this is a cv axle issue even when its only in this gear?

I find it incredible that it becomes harder to push the clutch at "those speeds", and I can't even imagine what could cause something like that.

 

[TwinTurboDsm]

sounds like your wheels need to be balanced does it happen at a certain speed.

 

[fenixnr]

He said it stops happening when the clutch goes in or stops accelerating, my guess wouldn't be the tires out of balance. If you keep it in 4th all the way does it still shake?

 

[luv2rallye]

Suggest checking engine mounts (http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/newbie-forum/433167-vibration-acceleration.html#post152945948).

 

[GRAVEDIGGER]

Its hard to try and push the clutch in at those speeds for me but it seemed to stop then as well.

This statement has me baffled. I can't see why the clutch would be any harder to push in "at those speeds". The required pedal pressure should not change with different gears or different speeds.

 

[Goatxxmastr]

The clutch isnt "hard" to push in... I just tend to skyrocket the rpms when i try... Sorry for the confusion there. Unnecessary info i suppose =/ thats what i get for typing at 2 in the morning.

 

[KewlWinter]

There are lots of problems that can cause shake, either all the time or at certain speeds. The fact that it doesnt seem to happen except in 5th gear would indicate it happens at a specific speed range irrespective of rpm or gear. Easy enough to check. Note the speed it starts to shake when in 5th gear, then try to duplicate the problem in 4th gear. Speed related shaking can be caused by wheels out of balance, bad suspension bushings, bad balljoints, wheel bearing, CV joint. Bad motor mounts will normally give you clunking and vibration on rapid accel/decel regardless of speed. The fact that it stops when pushing the clutch in or letting off the gas just means you are no longer accelerating and stressing whatever component has failed.

 

[Goatxxmastr]

Ok, i will try it in fourth. Guess ill take the long way home so i can get on the freeway =) guess ill post around 6-6:30 pst and let you know

 

[92PandaTalonTSI]

Yea my shaking was caused by bad control arm bushings on my Probe. Also, check to make sure your lugs are fully tightened. Loose lugs also causes wheel vibration. Happened on my MX-6 after the guy inspected it. He didn't tighten the lugs all the way. Blamed it on "someone must not like you and loosened your lugs." Good attempt at a cover up!

 

[Goatxxmastr]

Lol kinda funny. So... I am missing a stud on the driver side front tire. Yes a whole stud. I got it that way. As long as the other 4 lugs are tight it shouldnt cause a problem should it?

Ok more info... I found that as i try and turn at low speeds, occasionally the steering wheel tries to kick back the other direction, mainly when turning left. Maybe it has to do with this... Maybe not. Just thought i would mention it

 

[92PandaTalonTSI]

Lol kinda funny. So... I am missing a stud on the driver side front tire. Yes a whole stud. I got it that way. As long as the other 4 lugs are tight it shouldnt cause a problem should it?

Ok more info... I found that as i try and turn at low speeds, occasionally the steering wheel tries to kick back the other direction, mainly when turning left. Maybe it has to do with this... Maybe not. Just thought i would mention it

It shouldn't cause too much of a problem, but you definitely wanna get that fixed asap. It's not that tough to do either. The steering thing makes sense. The wheel will always try to turn the opposite way. That's why when you turn you can let your hands off and it almost always returns to straight while driving. But, yes could be the issue. Check all your bushings in your control arms and check your tie rod ends. Also check your tires for any uneven wear or swirl marks in the tread. Usually means the belts inside are faulty which can cause shaking.

 

[Goatxxmastr]

Alright, i will check. By the way, when i said the wheel kicked back, i didnt mean it just turned back, i mean it KICKED back, almost like something is binding

 

[KewlWinter]

Sounds more and more like bushings, worn or destroyed and/or in bind from lowering without loosening/retightening bushing bolts at static ride height. I'm guessing both with some bad ballpoint thrown in for that little extra bit of fun caused by abrupt changes in camber over bumps and in cornering when it all moves around like it isn't designed to do and steers for you. Check it all.

 

[Goatxxmastr]

Alright guys, sorry for not updating. No signal at my parents house and i just got home. The car shook going 70 in fourth so its not just fifth gear. Now... How bad is suspension on these cars? Went over a speed bump and it was rough. Any ways, how do i check my bushings? The ride height hasnt been adjusted so i dont know if it would be the bushings. Also need some info ohow to check cv axles in case they are bad. Thanks all!

 

[KewlWinter]

Visually inspect the bushings, do they appear torn, dry-rotted, pieces of rubber hanging out, no rubber at all? See if it looks like the bolt that goes through the bushing looks centered in the bushing or is pushed to one side. Take a big pry bar and see if you get movement. A fail on any of these checks and its time to replace that bushing. Always replace in pairs, if one is bad the other isn't far behind if it isn't also bad. Ball joints are the same way, use a pry bar and check for movement. If you don't feel comfortable checking it yourself, take it to your local shop that specializes in alignment and have them check for you while you look over their shoulder to ask questions and see how it's done.

 

[AK Maniak]

The clutch isnt "hard" to push in... I just tend to skyrocket the rpms when i try... Sorry for the confusion there. Unnecessary info i suppose =/ thats what i get for typing at 2 in the morning.

Are you pushing the clutch in while your foot is still on the gas!?WTF

 

[Goatxxmastr]

Well when i try to see if the clutch helps then yes... I still have the gas pushed down. Otherwise the shaking has already stopped and i wouldnt be able to tell

 

[White_knight]

Axel is out maybe?
When mine was no good
My car would shake a bit at 80mph

 

[Goatxxmastr]

Yeah i figured it was the cv axle at this point. Im gonna try and check it this weekend.

 

[White_knight]

Yea I usually go performance parts but with the cv axel I just bought the dura last gold from autozone
It's doing well for burnouts here and there

 

[99GS_Turbo]

I'm having a similar problem. I notice it once i get into the 65mph range. I just changed my tired, got them balanced and aligned so its not the tires being out of balance. Its not my tirerods as well. I was thinking the motor mounts as well. I guess I will check that next and let you know OP if that helps me

 

[Lou98GSX]

usually when you have a vibration under accelleration its a cv joint or drive shaft but i have also seen tires do that . try rotating the tires to see if it changes .

 

[Goatxxmastr]

Well rotating the tires is easy and free so ill try that. It will have to wait until the same time i can check the cv axles though. I need more frequent access to a jack =)

 

[95eclispe]

if its doing it in 4th or 5th gears most likely its the vibration from the cv axles. Its usually noticiable once your car hits high speeds no matter what gear its in. Also would clunk or rattle if they are pretty bad when you go over bumps, pot holes, etc.